Show Shrinking opportunities J f for poor minority students The following editorial appeared in Fridays Friday's Washington Post Guess which high school graduate is more likely to go to college the prepared ill-prepared student who is financially well-off well or ora ora ora a high-achieving high student from a low income family According to a new study they have pretty much the same chance and that is isan isan isan an embarrassment to the American educational system The sad story of the obstacles low-income low and minority students face in enrolling and graduating from college has been documented in two recent reports by the Education Trust Giving the lie to a perception that there has been progress in widening educational opportunities the independent research and advocacy organization shows greater disparities between the haves and nots have-nots than there were 30 years ago It rightly takes aim at federal state and college policies and practices Particularly troubling was the groups group's finding that the nations nation's flagship universities generally the oldest and most prestigious public campuses are becoming less accessible to low- low income and minority students Or in the words of Education Trust Director Kati Haycock Americas America's top public schools are getting whiter and richer as high school graduating classes are becoming more diverse At the heart of the problem are growing inequities in how financial aid is apportioned There are fewer state resources and the stagnant federal policy on student aid has not kept pace with soaring tuition But the universities also bear responsibility for decisions that divert money from low-income low students who can attend college only if they receive financial assistance In Ina a bid to enhance their prestige by becoming more selective public universities are using financial aid to compete for income high-income students who are able to go to college without assistance Consider that the average institutional grant aid in 2003 to students from families earning more than a year was higher at than th the awarded to students with family incomes of less than There are some bright spots on the horizon as schools such as the University of Virginia and the University of Maryland have started programs aimed at leveling the playing field It also is likely that the larger issue of how to make college more moie affordable for more people will be on the national agenda when the Democratic-controlled Democratic Congress takes office Among priorities unveiled by Sen Edward Kennedy D are proposals to increase federal Pell Grants and to close loopholes in student loan programs that end up enriching lenders at student expense An estimated students each year arent aren't able to attend a year four-year college because of financial considerations That's a a. a waste that should not be be countenanced p r J r ir i- i t. t J I |